Photo Courtesy of Artist
Filmmaker & Riverlore Co-Curator
Richmond, VA
Justin Black is a filmmaker, songwriter and whitewater raft guide who works and lives on the James River. He studied Studio Art at the University of Virginia, which kicked off a lifelong journey of finding the connections between music, photography and storytelling. In his debut films, Headwaters Down and Tidal River, Black paddled the entire 350 miles of the James River with his friends and collaborators creating two documentaries now available via PBS. Black found that his true ambition is to create and share stories that capture the beauty of Virginia and the American South, but which also recognize the complex historical and environmental transgressions that occurred on this land.
Justin also helped to co-curate Riverlore with the Virginia Folklife Program. He organized the exhibit on the history of watercraft, drawing from his passion for boating, the river, and storytelling to highlight the various watercraft designs that have paddled the James River over the past 150+ years.